Four dead in Ukraine as Russia evacuates hundreds from border city

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - A view shows damaged cars in a courtyard of a multi-story apartment building following what local authorities say was a Ukrainian military strike in the city of Belgorod, Russia, January 5, 2024. — Reuters pic

KYIV, Jan 9 — A wave of Russian strikes killed four people across Ukraine yesterday, officials said, as authorities in the Russian border city of Belgorod evacuated hundreds due to Ukrainian shelling.

As the war approaches its second anniversary, both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of causing dozens of civilian casualties in a sharp escalation of attacks.

“This morning, unfortunately, began again with a massive missile attack,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily address.

“Forty-five people were injured, and at this time, we know of four dead,” he said.

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Russian missiles hit a shopping centre and high-rise buildings in Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rig, killing one person, deputy head of the presidency Oleksiy Kuleba said.

A separate missile attack in the western region of Khmelnytsky killed two people, officials said, while an elderly woman in the Kharkiv region died after being pulled from the rubble of her home.

Moscow said in its latest defence ministry briefing that it had struck only “military” targets.

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Bolstered by Western air equipment, Ukraine’s defence forces had been destroying most of the drones and missiles that Russia launched in regular aerial strikes.

But it downed just 18 out of 51 missiles yesterday.

“A large number of ballistic missiles were launched today... Many said the rate (of destroyed missiles) is not very high,” air force spokesman Yuri Ignat acknowledged.

But air defence achieved “a good result”, Ignat said, with all drones destroyed and some Russian missiles also missing their targets.

Ukraine has warned it needs continued support to sustain its air defence systems amid the escalation in aerial attacks.

Wounded, evacuations in Belgorod

Russia has also seen renewed assaults.

After downing two drones over the border region of Bryansk yesterday, Russian forces destroyed 10 Ukrainian rockets over the region of Belgorod in the evening, the defence ministry said.

The Belgorod region has been particularly targeted recently, with waves of deadly strikes that prompted evacuations.

“Ten targets were shot down as they approached the city,” regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, reporting that three people had been wounded by shrapnel.

Gladkov earlier said 300 people had been relocated from the border city of Belgorod because of Ukrainian shelling.

This is the biggest evacuation from a major Russian city since the conflict began.

The residents who decided to leave are being housed in temporary accommodation in the towns of Stary Oskol, Gubkin and the Korochansky district, further from the border, Gladkov said.

“Over the past 24 hours we received 1,300 requests to send Belgorod children to school camps away from the city in other regions,” he added.

The Kremlin has tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy on the home front, but recent strikes on Belgorod have brought conflict in Ukraine closer to home for many Russians.

On December 30, Ukrainian shelling of the city killed 25 people, prompting schools to shut for an extended period.

Moscow vowed to intensify strikes on Ukraine in response to the attack, the deadliest in Russia since the start of the war in February 2022. — AFP